A New Jersey couple let their beloved dog choose their new baby’s name and also made the pup a big part of their gender reveal – which contained a surprising twist.
Erica and Frank Derise of Monmouth County, New Jersey, threw three tennis balls for their two-year-old pooch Beau to chase - each with one with a male name written on it, according to news agency SWNS. (SEE the pup in the video at the top of this article.)
When Beau ran back with a ball that had "Frankie" written on it, that’s the name the expectant couple decided to go with for the baby boy they were expecting.
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Previously, the Derises had let their golden retriever reveal whether they were having a boy or a girl by biting into a gender reveal cake, after their social media followers suggested getting Beau involved.
Erica Derise, a 27-year-old content creator, told SWNS, "We incorporate Beau into every major life event, he needs to be involved in everything."
She added, "He's like our kid - we want him to be a part of things."
However, Beau bit into a cake that was pink - and this turned out to be incorrect information, said SWNS.
"It went wrong the first time," Erica Derise told the news agency of the initial pregnancy blood test and their resulting gender reveal.
"I took a blood test at 10 weeks and the lab results came in from the nurse," she said, adding, "She gave me an envelope saying it was a girl."
She added, "It was great, after Beau revealed that we were having a girl."
Derise continued, "But we went for another ultrasound to reconfirm - and we were told it was a boy!"
She said, "I cried. We were happy regardless, but I remember calling to reconfirm and being like, 'What...?'"
Learning that she and her husband had initially been given the wrong envelope "was kind of heartbreaking," Derise said.
She added, "But of course, we're not disappointed that we're having a boy."
After Beau "tucked into a second cake - this time with the correct color - Erica and Frank soon turned their attention to names," said the news service.
The couple managed to settle on three names, Liam, Andrew and Frankie, but they ultimately gave Beau "the final say."
That's when he returned the tennis ball with "Frankie" written on it.
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"We were kind of undecided whether we wanted to go down the Frankie route because of [dad] Frank's name," said Derise, "but he's going to be called Frankie and on his birth certificate it'll say Frank."
Beau also walked down the aisle on the couple’s wedding day, "which he loved," she told SWNS.
Beau was thrilled when "he waked down the aisle and everyone was cheering for him," she also said.
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"He got his own announcement and looked so happy," she continued, noting, "we're so excited for Beau to meet the baby."
Saying that Beau is "so good with [our] nieces," Derise added, "honestly, Beau is never not happy. He's always smiling."
